On December 23, 2016 pioneering English electronica duo Massive Attack are reissuing three essential albums on 180-gram vinyl. Formerly a trio, original members Robert "3D" Del Naja and Grant "Daddy G" Marshall changed the course of dance music, slowing it down and infusing it with hip-hop rhythms to create a musical hybrid that would establish Massive Attack as a major presence in the music world and help open the doors for collaborators/fellow travelers Tricky and Portishead. The group's early albums have been hard to find on vinyl for several years, unless you were lucky enough to score a used copy or a pricey import. But that's about to change soon, and here's why we're delighted to bring each LP home and put the needle on the record. Protection, the follow-up to Blue Lines, dropped in 1994, marking the last time Tricky would perform regularly with the group. (His solo debut, Maxinquaye, came out the following year.) The album includes tracks like "Protection" and "Better Things" with Everything But the Girl vocalist Tracey Thorn, plus "Karmacoma" and "Eurochild," which feature Tricky. Produced by the legendary Nellee Hooper.
